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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25704142">Reverse Soulmate</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/NEKOMI/pseuds/NEKOMI'>NEKOMI</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Complete, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Hopeful Ending, Light Angst, Soulmate-Identifying Marks</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 10:46:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>707</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25704142</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/NEKOMI/pseuds/NEKOMI</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Katara &amp; Zuko (Avatar), Katara/Zuko (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>66</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Reverse Soulmate</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“So <em> what </em> if I like you? Is that such a crime?”</p><p>Katara peers over her shoulder with her hair stuck in her eyes because — of fucking course — it’s dark outside and raining like a goddamn Nicholas Sparks scene. The street lights caught in Zuko’s eyes shine luminescent, dancing like fireflies in an endless night sky. It’s perfect — <em> he’s </em> perfect — and things couldn’t possibly be any more wrong.</p><p>“Zuko.” Flicking the rain from her eyes, Katara takes a step back onto the sidewalk, putting space between her and the black hole of Zuko’s love. “Did you not hear anything I just said? My whole purpose, my entire reason for being here, is to <em> kill </em> you. Do you understand me? For as long as either one of us lives, I’ll be hunting you down — it’s <em> literally </em> burnt into my blood.”</p><p>Katara pushes her left sleeve up with a hand, exposing the tiny, raised symbol scarred against her forearm. But instead of being frightened, Zuko merely stares at that bit of exposed skin like it’s something wondrous, reaching up to trace over it with a thumb. Cautious, he ghosts his hand down the length of her arm, carefully intertwining her fingers.</p><p>“But I’m still alive, aren’t I?” Zuko asks with a tilt of his head and Katara scoffs in disbelief. He tugs at her hand, insistent. “You’ve had three whole months to kill me, and yet I’m still alive,” he raises a brow. “That’s got to stand for something.”</p><p>Katara looks down to where their hands link, slotting together like matching puzzle pieces. As far as things like fate go, she’s almost certain this isn’t how it’s meant to be, and yet…</p><p>“Look, Zuko.” The gaze that meets hers is so lovely and open, Zuko’s amber eyes are wide and softened by the rain. Every time she meets those eyes she’s reminded of how unfair the universe is, how beautiful it is to allow things like this to exist, how cruel for taking it away from her, time and time again.</p><p>“This isn’t a question of whether or not I like you, or even of <em> us </em> as people.” She breaks from his hold and shoves her hands into her pockets. Rain drips down from the top of Zuko’s head, pooling like tiny lakes into his collarbones. Katara traces the motion, blue eyes lingering over skin. “This is about something bigger than the both of us. Fate, destiny, the universe, who knows — all I know is that I kill you, or you kill me. There’s no easy way around it.”</p><p>For a while, Zuko says nothing, just stares off into the distance at an answer he’s yet to reach. His eyes search the darkness for a long while, the same faraway look clouding his expression, until finally — he nods, settling on something. Zuko meets Katara’s gaze and nods again, resolute. “Okay,” he agrees, rainwater dripping down the sides of his face. “I’ll do it.”</p><p>Katara stares at him in confusion as he reaches past her coat, hands shuffling awkwardly along its lining. He finds her phone almost instantly, plucking it from her with adept fingers. “You — what? You’ll do what?”</p><p>He smiles easily, wiping the water from her phone as he returns it to her. On the screen, he’s saved a new contact: <em> Prince Zuko </em>, encased between two red hearts. “I’ll let you kill me. But — ” he takes her hand, leading her down the sidewalk, “ — On one condition. Let me take you out to dinner first.”</p><p>Katara struck speechless as she let Zuko drag her down the entire length of the street, his hand soft and wet inside hers. In the moonlight, his ears blush red, the sides of his mouth drawn into a tiny smile.</p><p>“<em> ‘I’ll let you kill me if I can take you out to dinner first?’ </em>” She readjust her hold on Zuko’s hand, sliding her fingers between his. “What am I supposed to say to that?”</p><p>“Just a suggestion?” Zuko looks down at her. His eyes are full of laughter and light and a thousand shining stars — all of it too bright, too impossible for Katara to comprehend. It’s not right — none of it is, and yet —</p><p>Zuko shrugs, pulling her further along. “Maybe start with ‘yes’?”</p><p> </p>
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